Brook & Bramble Art

One of my first miniatures, but another lesson in not waiting long enough.

I liked this one, right up until I sabotaged it. The shapes were gentle, the bottles behaved themselves, the flowers had that airy, almost-there quality I keep chasing. And then, in a move that surprises absolutely no one, I added the ink before the paint had properly dried.

Cue the fuzz.

Lines softened where they were meant to stay crisp. Details blurred into suggestion. The ink bled just enough to remind me that watercolour has rules, and patience is apparently one of them. My brain absolutely knew better. My hands did not care.

Will I ever learn? Jury’s still out.

That said, it’s not a total loss. The fuzziness gives it a softness I didn’t plan but don’t entirely dislike. It feels more delicate, more dreamlike, as if the whole thing might drift off the page if you look at it for too long. Not what I intended, but not unforgivable either.

Miniatures have been very good at teaching me this particular lesson on repeat: slow down, let things dry, trust the pauses as much as the action. One day it might stick. Until then, I’ll keep painting, keep smudging, and keep pretending that accidental softness was a stylistic choice all along.

Progress, apparently, is fuzzy around the edges.